CHP: More DUI arrests, fewer fatalities over holiday weekend

The California Highway Patrol is reporting an increase in the Bay Area and statewide in the number drunken driving arrests during the Thanksgiving weekend.

The good news is that there were no alcohol-related deaths on CHP-patrolled roadways in the Bay Area, according to provisional numbers released by the CHP on Sunday. Last year, five people died in DUI-related crashes in the region.

The provisional numbers showed that CHP officers statewide made 1,419 DUI arrests between Wednesday evening and Sunday morning, compared to 1,314 arrests for the same period in 2009.

CHP officers in the Bay Area arrested 249 drunken drivers over the holiday weekend, compared to 207 arrests in 2009.

The CHP continued its heavy saturation patrols through midnight Sunday and expect to release updated numbers later Monday.